Senior Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, has written a letter to the chief justice of Pakistan and other members of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan regarding vacancies of judges in the Supreme Court.
In the letter, Justice Isa says the posts of two judges in the apex court are vacant for 19 months and the process for their appointment should be started by calling a meeting of the JCP before the summer vacation.
The judge says 53,000 cases are currently pending in the Supreme Court, and the posts of two judges have been vacant for 19 months.
“Considering my constitutional responsibility, I recommend the names of the chief justices of the Sindh and Peshawar high courts for elevation to the Supreme Court. Justice Ahmad Ali Shaikh will be the sole representative of Sindh in the Supreme Court. Both the proposed judges will retire in a few months, so a meeting of the Judicial Commission should be convened soon,” Justice Isa wrote in the letter.
Meanwhile, a two-member bench of the Supreme Court referred the issue of appointment of judges in Gilgit-Baltistan to the Chief Justice to constitute a larger bench. The hearing was adjourned indefinitely.
During the hearing, the GB chief minister’s lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan took a stand that under the Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018, the power to appoint judges rests with the provincial government and the chief minister.
The GB governor bypassed the chief minister and the provincial government on the summary of the judges.
The prime minister approved the appointment of judges on the advice of the governor, and the chief minister and provincial government were not consulted on this issue.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan remarked that the issue of appointment of judges in Gilgit-Baltistan is important, therefore, the matter is being sent to a larger bench.
Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan said the federal government has submitted a reply to the Supreme Court. The court should schedule the case for hearing soon.
